


The Cage

by AwkwardWaver



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Brothers, Father-Son Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 07:43:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10531977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardWaver/pseuds/AwkwardWaver
Summary: Jason returns home after a long time away-- something seems to be eating him up, but what? Hopefully his family can help him through it!





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Part one of something that will (I promise) end up being about Jason and Roy. My first time posting here, hopefully I did it right!

Of course it has to be raining tonight.  
  
Jason pulls his helmet off, emerging into the freezing, wet, black night. For a moment he allows the rain to pelt against him, tilting his head a little to the swirling black sky. He glances back the way he came, unable to make out more than a few trees silhouetted-- even blacker than the night. But he can imagine the turmoil of the city just beyond them. Then he turns back towards the towering mansion in front of him.  
  
_Enough turmoil for one night._  
  
He sticks his helmet under his arm, props his bike up on the lawn, and heads for the door. In the shelter of the porch he gathers his thoughts. Is it really the best idea to just walk up and ring the doorbell? He’s not trying to sneak in or anything, but it almost seems disrespectful to go about this in an obvious way.  
  
_I’m too damn tired to try to impress him anyways_. He decisively pulls the daunting cable, feeling the reverberation it creates just beyond the door.  
  
In the space that follows a hint of regret fills him, as he silently prays to himself: _Please be Alfred. Please be Alfred. Please be Alfred. Please be-- of course._  
  
As the door is pulled open, and the face of the man on the other side is revealed, Jason feels a fleeting sense of nausea. The man, on the other hand, seems pensive. The only emotion coloring his voice is a touch of confusion.  
  
“Good evening.”  
  
Jason nods, and unsure what else to do, puts on an uncomfortable smile. “Hey Bruce… Long time no see.”  
  
The two of them exchange another silent glance. Bruce’s eyes carefully examine Jason, then he stands aside and allows him through the door.  
  
“Sorry if I woke you,” Jason mutters, as he comes into the dimly lit hall, noticing Bruce’s velvet robe. “Honestly I figured it’d be Alfred… figured you had bigger fish to fry tonight.”  
  
“No… not tonight,” Bruce replies absently, as he relocks the door.  
  
Jason sets his helmet on an end table, shoving it up against an antique vase. “Everyone’s entitled to a night off. Good for you.”  
  
“Why are you here, Jason?”  
  
He can’t stop a smile from taking over his expression. “Just as charismatic as ever, huh?”  
  
Still standing in the entryway of the manor, the two of them exchange a long look. Once it’s perfectly clear that Bruce has no response to this, Jason sighs, and continues, “Look. I’ll be honest with you. I got nowhere else to go. I’m… kinda in a bind. I thought I could crash here for a night and figure things out in the morning. But hey, I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.” He rolls his helmet into his hand, and tucks it back under his arm.  
  
There’s a pause-- slightly longer than necessary.  
  
“Go ahead.”  
  
Jason raises his eyebrows, and once again cracks a grin. He steps towards the door, but Bruce blocks his path.  
  
“--take off your jacket. And your shoes. You’re soaking wet.”  
  
Jason finds himself stooped for a moment. He regains himself, and does as instructed, hanging his jacket on the awaiting coat rack.  
Bruce clears his throat, glancing at the floor. “I believe you’ll find… your room… is available as a place to ‘crash’.”  
Jason’s gaze also shifts down, and he snorts a little. “My room.”  
  
“There are other rooms, of course, if you’d rather--”  
  
“Nah, my room sound good. Thanks Bruce.” He kicks off his shoes, and heads up the stairs without another word.  
  
Bruce watches him scurry up the stairs, an unmistakable sense of nostalgia filling him. But this is not the same kid who roamed these halls all those years ago. Jason went through things that no normal person could comprehend, and even Bruce doesn’t pretend to fully understand him. But he senses something-- something new and strange.  
  
Some fresh horror is haunting Jason Todd.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim is eating breakfast, and Jason joins him.
    
    
      
    

_Hey are you in town?_

_Heading back tonight. What’s up?_

_Cool, cool. Stop by if you get the chance. Jason’s here._

_..Really?_

_He spent the night. Not really sure why, but I thought it’d be  
cool for all of us to hang out or something._

 

Just as Tim hits the send button he wonders if that was the right thing to say. He could have been more concise. He could have been less vague. He could have been… cooler. He glances at his breakfast, then back at the face of his watch, eagerly awaiting a reply. 

But just then, the doors to the dining room open up, revealing a familiar face.

Tim gets to his feet, “Hey Jason!” 

He pauses like a startled animal, then comes in a little further, nodding in acknowledgement, “Hey Tim… ‘Sup?”

“The usual, I guess,” he shrugs, “You want some breakfast?”

Jason sits next to Tim’s spot at the table, stretching his arms over his head and shrugging, “Yeah in a minute…”

There’s a quiet, but distinct, ding from Tim’s watch. Jason glances in the direction of the sound as Tim looks at his wrist,

_Sounds good. See you tonight :-)_

“Who you textin’?” Jason asks, raising an eyebrow. 

Tim hesitates, “It’s nothing… well…” under Jason’s gaze, he gives in, “it’s just… Dick mentioned he’d be in town tonight and I thought--”

Before he can finish his statement Jason bursts into a contemptuous laugh, “Family reunion, huh? Sounds… weird.”

An earnest smile starts on Tim’s face. “So then, you don’t mind?”

He shrugs, “Should be fine. I can handle Dick. It’s the brat I’m worried about,” he gives the dining room a quick survey, “haven’t seen him yet…”

Tim glances at the ceiling, “He’s around…”

“Putting up with Bruce is bad enough, but two Waynes? Sounds like Hell if you ask me.” 

“Damian isn’t all that bad,” Tim chuckles, “In a way, he kinda remind me of you.”

Jason shoots him an annoyed look, “Seriously?”

“Well… if I had to imagine what you were like as a twelve year old…” 

Before Tim can finish his thought, the door connecting the dining room to the kitchen opens up, revealing an elderly man, dressed in a suit, with a neat moustache. 

“Alfred!” Jason gets to his feet, “Hey, uh, long time no see?”

Although he seems to retain his composure, a careful eye can see something lights up inside him as he says, “Master Jason. It’s good to see you again.” He hesitates, then adds with a small smile, “Welcome home.”

Jason glances at his feet, “Er, I just needed a place to crash, Al. I’ll be heading out today… maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow at the latest.” 

Alfred nods in acknowledgement, “Very well. You are, of course, welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“Oh, Alfred,” Tim turns in his seat towards the butler, “Dick’s also coming over tonight.”

His eyes go a bit wider, “Sounds like we will have a full house. I hope there will be enough dinner to go around...” But as he glances between Jason and Tim, they all know that that is the least of his worries.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim and Jason go down into the Batcave.

“This new?” 

Tim glances at Jason, as he knocks his knuckles against the glass wall of the elevator. “The elevator? No… we replaced the glass, I dunno, about a year ago.”

“Huh,” he takes a step back, “it really _has_ been a while.” 

The elevator lets off into a dimly lit hall that seems to lead down to a larger chamber. There’s a couple of doors right after the elevator. Tim places his hand on the handle to one, then glances back at Jason, uncertainty in his eyes. 

“You’ll excuse me staying in my civys?”

Tim grins, “If you’ll excuse me suiting up?” 

Jason gestures towards the door, “Please.” 

“I’ll just be a second!” Tim adds over his shoulder as he heads into the changing room.

Once Jason’s alone he turns his attention down the hall. The mix of high and low pitched grunts and sounds of bodies impacting give him a good idea of what’s going on just beyond.

Just when Jason’s started to question every decision that led up to his being here, the door swings open. “You clean up good Tim-- I mean, _Red Robin_.” 

Tim smooths his hair back and up, “Thanks! Well… you want me to show you around the cave?”

Jason takes a few steps down the hall, Tim right next to him, “Who is it this week? Penguin? Croc? Ivy?”

He shakes his head, glancing at his watch, “Nothing that interesting. We’ve heard Nygma might be cooking something up, but that could just be a rumor. Past couple weeks we’ve been shutting down smaller operations.”

“Hm…” the hallway opens up into a cavern, complete with training equipment, huge computer screens, and stalactites hanging from the roof, a good hundred feet overhead. 

Halfway across the cavern a man and a boy are sparring in a training ring. 

“So tell me,” Jason talks a little lower, hoping only Tim can hear him, “you guys about to go on patrol or something? I mean, isn’t it kinda overkill to wear the costumes around the batcave?” 

Tim glances down at his red and black outfit, “Well… maybe. But... it’s fun to wear the costumes.” 

Jason can’t contain a snort.

“What’s so funny, Todd?”

Sometime during their exchange Bruce and Damian stopped sparring, and now they’re heading towards Tim and Jason.

Jason smiles down at Damian, “Nothin’ kid.”

“Why are you smiling like that?” Damian scowls.

He shrugs, “Just forgot how _adorable_ you are in that costume. The Robin look suits ya.” 

Damian crosses his arms, taking a step back, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

“Enough.” Bruce sighs. 

“All these questions, you’re not even gonna tell me hello, Damian?” 

He keeps his lips scrunched in a frown, but he mutters, “Hello, Todd. Are you here to help us or what?” 

“Either that or get in the way,” Jason directs this to Bruce.

From under his bat mask, Bruce glances between Tim and Jason. “You two man the batcomputer. Robin and I will return to training.” 

“I want to go against Todd.” Damian says this with the same tone of voice as a kid stating which flavor of ice cream they want. 

Jason smiles wider than ever. “You _really_ think you can take me, kiddo?” 

Damian steps towards him. “Let’s find out.”

“Enough!” Bruce is nearly shouting.

“Er, Batman…” Tim cuts in, apologetically, “I dunno if you’ve heard, but Dick’s coming over tonight.” 

A heavy breath escapes Bruce, he glances at the ceiling, “Perfect.” He adds under his breath, “Three just wasn’t enough.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason, Tim, Damian and Bruce sit down for dinner.

By the time dinner rolled around it was still just the four of them… five with Alfred.

For the most part they ate in silence. There was a little bit of discussion concerning the missions Bruce, Tim and Damian have been working on, and wondering where Dick could be. 

Then, as the meal was wrapping up, Damian speaks up. 

“So. Why _are_ you here Todd?”

Any shifting of plates or food or bodies stops completely. There is a distinct silence, as the other three turn towards Jason. 

He looks at each of them in turn. First Bruce-- his expression unflinchingly neutral. Then Damian-- he returns Jason’s glare without hesitation. Finally he turns to Tim. There’s certainly curiosity in Tim’s eyes, but he seems uncomfortable with the situation. 

“Hey,” Tim breaks the silence, “Is it really that big of a deal why he’s here…” 

“Personally,” Damian responds, turning his glare on Tim, “I would like to know why a man who has a history of being a crime lord, not to mention a psychopath, is staying in my house.”

“Yeesh,” Jason leans his head on his hand, “Pullin’ out all the stops, huh Kiddo?” 

“Will you stop calling me that?!” 

“Only if you stop being so _darn_ cute.”

Damian gets to his feet, “If I wanted to I could kill you so quick you wouldn’t even--”

“I’m going on patrol.” Bruce throws his fork down, stands and heads straight for the door. 

“Hey,” Damian hurries after him, “Wait for me!”

Tim stands, and takes a step towards Jason. He hesitates momentarily, then says, “I should probably go with them… But just so ya know, you don’t _need_ a good reason for being here, Jason. You know that…”

Jason nods. “There’s... a reason. Dunno if it’s any good. But there’s a reason.”

Tim senses the darkness behind Jason’s words, and his eyebrows pull together a little in concern. “Well, maybe when I get back you can tell me about it,” He pats Jason’s shoulder, then heads out of the dining room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick shows up, and he talks to Jason.

Jason helped Alfred clear the table and do the dishes. Once that was done he went into the living room, and threw himself down in the big, central red chair. Whenever he was a kid he would make a game out of sitting in it whenever Bruce wasn’t around. Now he realizes that Bruce probably never really gave a crap about people sitting in his seat, but it still brings Jason just a little bit of satisfaction. 

“Awe, I wanted to sit there.” 

Jason glances behind him to find the face to match the voice he heard. 

“Dick.”

“Jason.” He comes further in. He’s in street clothes, carrying a backpack, “How’ve you been?” He sits on the couch across from the chair. 

“Oh, ya know,” Jason trails off with a shrug, avoiding looking right at Dick.

“Where is everyone?”

“Al’s around. Batman and his Robins are on patrol. Surprised Nightwing isn’t joining them.”

Dick sighs heavily, “Nightwing’s had a long day.”

“We were expecting you for dinner.” 

“Sorry about that… hope everyone got along?” 

Jason grins, “Not really.”

“Let me guess,” Dick crosses his arms.

“The kid wanted a fight, Dick. He’s such a little punk.”

Now Dick’s the one grinning, “I know he is.”

“I get it, I get it. I used to be a little punk… hell, I still am. But I was never as bad as he is.”

“Cut Damian some slack, okay? He’s still kinda new to this whole thing…” 

Jason adjusts a little in his seat. “We’ll see…” 

A good fifteen seconds of silence stretches between them.

“So…” Dick clears his throat, choosing his words carefully, “Did you… tell anyone what’s going on? Bruce or Tim? Or Alfred?”

“You say that like _you_ know what’s going on.”

Dick let’s out a slight sigh. “Well… I’ve got an idea.” 

“No. As far as I know, they don’t. Although something tells me Bruce knows more than he lets on.” 

Once again Dick measures his words. “Then, you two really split?”

There’s another pause. Jason takes a deep breath. “Yeah. It’s over.” 

Dick pushes his lips together, unsure what to say. Eventually, he murmurs, “I’m sorry, Jason… Do you wanna talk about it?”

Jason locks eyes with Dick, “ _I_ ended it. It was my idea.”

“... That’s still rough. You guys were together, for what? Two years?”

“You said you had a busy day,” Jason narrows his eyes, “Anything I need to worry about?” 

Dick sighs, “No, Jason… Honestly, I thought about talking to him, but I figured I should talk to you first.” 

“So… you _are_ going to talk to him?”

Dick hesitates, then nods. “He’s my friend, Jason. And I know how he is. This isn’t gonna be easy for him.” 

There’s a beat.

“Not that it’ll be easy for _you _\-- that’s not what I meant! I know it must hurt-- whether you’re willing to admit it or not. And you know I’m here for you. Right?”__

____

____

Jason shrugs. 

“... But I also have to be there for him. I’m gonna go talk to him in the morning. Anything you want to tell me before that?” 

After another extended silence, Jason says, “I left most of my stuff behind. If you could grab my guns, the mask, maybe a couple of jackets, I’d appreciate it.” 

Dick nods. “Will do.” 

“And… just so you know,” he clears his throat, “I… I didn’t wanna end it. But... he’s such a _fucking_ idiot,” his voice cracks a little with emotion. “I couldn’t do it anymore, Dick. I just couldn’t.” 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick goes to Roy's place and talks to him.

Roy slams the door to the apartment shut behind him. Then, with a groan, he pulls off his bow and quiver, and tosses them onto the kitchen table with a bit of a crash. 

Usually he’s more careful with his equipment. 

He goes for one of the top cabinets, and yanks out a tall, half empty bottle of vodka. He feels the weight of it in his hand, deciding it should last him the night. 

Already swigging the vodka, he throws himself onto the couch. As he surfaces for a breath, he notices a worn leather bundle at the other end of the couch. He sets down the bottle, and grabs the jacket. He never bothered to turn on the lights, so he can’t get a real good look at it, but it’s got a nice feel in his hands, and it smells a bit like discharged gun powder. 

Roy gulps down a few more mouthfuls of vodka, then buries his face in the jacket, breathing deeply for a long moment. 

When he surfaces, his eyes are moist. He reaches to wipe them and realizes he’s still wearing the mask. He throws it across the room, and once again goes for the vodka. 

“Bad guys get away?” 

Roy pushes back the initial shock at someone else being here. He pushes back the ounce of hope that rises up inside him in the instant before he processes the voice he heard. And then, he pushes back his annoyance. 

“What are you doing here Dick?” 

Roy turns towards the front door as light floods the room. Dick leans against the wall, his finger on the switch. 

“Jason asked me to come.” He saunters forward, perching on the arm of the couch, his arms crossed. 

Roy clears his throat, trying to regain his cool. “Oh… did he want you to tell me something…?”

He chuckles, “Yeah, Roy. Told me to tell you to go to hell.” 

Roy narrows his eyes at him, then looks worried, “R-really?”

Dick gets up, glancing around the dimly lit apartment, “No, Roy. He just wanted me to pick up a few things for him. Where does he keep his guns? Underwear drawer?” 

“Wait--” Roy follows him, “When did you talk to Jason? Where’d you see him?”

Dick pauses in his step, shooting Roy an untrusting look. “What’s it matter to you? I don’t think he wants to see you anytime soon.”

“Is it too much for me to make sure he’s got a place to stay?”

With a slight glare, Dick says, offhanded, “He’s staying at the manor.” After a moment, he adds, “So am I. And I don’t expect to see you there, unless for some reason, you’re invited.” 

Roy sticks his hands up, “I get it. I get it… So… what did he say? Or, I mean, did he _tell_ you…”

By now Dick has made it to the little kitchen. “When I talked to Jason he didn’t really seem in a _talking_ mood. But in all honesty it doesn’t take a Batman to put the pieces together.” He swings open the top cupboard Roy had been in earlier, revealing over a dozen bottles of booze.

Faced with this, Roy glances at his shoes. “Guess I am kinda predictable.”

“You have a problem, Roy.” 

There’s a pause.

“Do you think… if I got clean, he might take me back?”

Dick snorts. “Wow. I know Jason’s tried to get you to drop it. And Ollie and Dinah. Hell we even had a couple of interventions over it back with the Titans. It’s not until he leaves you that you realize you’ve really screwed up your life, huh Roy?”

Another pause. 

“You think he’d take me back? Or not?”

Nearly in disbelief, Dick sighs. “I _think_ , you need to worry about yourself, and let Jason worry about himself right now. Regardless of your love life, you need to kick the habit. Understand?” 

Roy turns away, pulling off his hat, and running his hand through his hair. “Yeah… I get it Dick. I get it.” 

Dick watches Roy collapse into a chair, his head in his hands, and feels a flicker of guilt. Maybe he was too hard on him. 

“...I’m here for you. If you need someone to talk to, or anything.”

“Thanks Dick.”

Dick slaps Roy on the shoulder, “I wanna help you get clean, man. I know you can do it. You just… gotta believe in yourself.”

Still downcast, Roy cracks a small grin. “Good old team leader pep talk.”

“I really _try_ not to make them too cheesy, ya know.”

Roy chuckles a little. “You’ll get it eventually.” 

Dick chuckles along with him. Then, in the silence that follows, he hesitates. “And… maybe, if you _really_ kick the booze,” he takes a breath, “I might be able to convince Jason to talk to you… _maybe_.” 

Roy’s head swivels around, and he looks Dick right in the eye. “That’s… that’s not just a cheap tactic to motivate me to sober up?”

Dick rolls his eyes. “Well. If it was I certainly wouldn’t tell you, would I?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a transition chapter~

As Jason wakes up in the old familiar twin bed, he isn’t particularly struck by the fact that he spent the night alone. Not  _ particularly _ struck. But it does occur to him. 

The first day waking up in Wayne Manor, it still felt unreal. But now, this second morning the cold reality sets in. He really did come crawling back to Bruce. He was never supposed to end up back here. He chokes down the strange feeling of guilt and worthlessness in his throat by telling himself:  _ I didn’t ask to be taken in in the first place. He got me mixed up in this damned business. _ But then that excuse doesn’t quite sit right with him. This situation doesn’t really have to do with ‘the business’... _ not by a stretch _ . 

Jason sits up in bed, and spots something sitting in the corner of the room that was not there when he went to bed. He drags himself up, and goes over to find it’s a dufflebag. Inside are four shotguns, a couple changes of clothes, and a red mask-- featureless besides two soulless slits for eyes. 

He pulls out a gun, the familiar weight and shape of it against his hand provides a moment of comfort before he starts worrying about how long he can last on four loaded guns before he runs out of ammo.  _ Not Long _ . He sets down the gun, and picks up the mask, looking it right in the eyes.  _ That is, if I’m even gonna put this on again anytime soon _ … 

Standing up with the mask still in his hands, Jason places it on his dresser with a sigh.  _ Not now _ .  _ Now right now, at least.  _

***

Jason walks down the stairs just a bit more sneakily then he usually would. It’s past noon by the time he ventures past his own corner of this manor, and one of the five other people staying under this roof could be around any corner, and they’re all at least a little more at home in this place than he is. 

No one’s in the main living room. The dining room and kitchen are empty. Just when Jason’s decided everyone’s probably playing dress up downstairs, he hears a shout. It’s coming from the backyard. 

_ Oh hell _ .

There’s a set of bay doors at the back of the dining room. Jason slowly opens the doors, and peaks out, turning towards the sound of voices. 

“Tim are you alright?!”

“Uh… yeah, Dick, but maybe we should go over the rules again…”

Damian pointedly turns away, his arms crossed.  

The three of them are standing around in shorts and t-shirts, a soccer ball in Dick’s hands. As Jason timidly approaches them, Damian is the first to notice him. 

“Oh. You’ve finally gotten out of bed, Todd. Wonderful.” 

Before Jason can think of a sarcastic reply to counter Damian’s, Tim and Dick practically trip over each other with,

“Morning Jason!” 

“You sleep well?”

“Wanna play?”

“We were just kickin’ the ball around…” 

“You should play!”

“Come on!”

Jason notices two makeshift goals set up with traffic cones. They stand in a nice contrast against the manicured lawn. “... Guess I could play… long as I’m not on the brat’s team.”

Arms still crossed, Damian turns his ever present glare towards Jason. “Perfect. Three on one might make things a little interesting.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will update again tomorrow. Thanks for the support guys :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talk between Jason, Tim and Dick.

The four of them spent about an hour and a half messing around on their makeshift soccer pitch. 

As they return to the manor, Tim Dick and Jason head for the kitchen while Damian smugly goes off in the other direction. 

Tim yanks open the fridge, pulls out three sodas and hands them out. 

“Hey,” Dick nudges Jason’s arm, “I see you found the clothes I left for you.”

Jason takes a long swig from his soda. “Yeah… thanks. You could’ve just left the bag outside my door you know.”

“Wasn’t sure what you wanted, and I was kinda in a hurry, so I hope it’s okay,” Dick continues without missing a beat. 

“Yeah. It’s fine. Thanks Dick.” Jason glances from his soda, to Dick, to Tim, and then back to his soda. 

There’s a beat of silence, while all three of them look at their sodas. 

“So,” Tim clears his throat, “Playing soccer… that was fun.” 

Jason nods a bit, looking up to see Dick is staring at him. “ _ Yes _ Dick?!”

The sudden severe tone makes Tim jump. 

Dick shrugs, shaking his head, “Nothing, Jason.” 

“Why are you giving me that look? Huh?”

“I wasn’t giving you a look.” Dick insists. 

Jason scoffs. “Why don’t you just say it? You think I should tell Tim, don’t you?” 

Dick shrugs. “ That’s up to you, man.” 

“I don’t mind telling Tim. It’s not a big deal. I was going to anyways.”

“Um,” Tim cuts in, “Tell me what?”

Dick and Jason turn towards him in unison. Then, Jason looks down, seeming lost for words. Dick also seems unsure, but after a moment, he offers, “I think Jason was gonna tell you about--”

“It’s not a complicated story, or anything,” Jason pointedly cuts Dick off, “where I was before, and why I came here… it’s real simple. And, it’s not a big deal.” 

Jason pauses, and in the pause he looks between Tim and Dick, finding attentive expressions on both faces. 

“Basically, I was… involved with someone for a while. The relationship ended-- I ended it-- and so I needed to find a new place to stay. Ya know, because he’s--... he’s still at our apartment… my ex. And I had to get out of there. That’s all it is.”

After he says this, Jason pushes his lips together, looks between the other two, and turns towards the door, adding, “And I’m only staying one more night anyways,” before he slams the door behind him. 

Dick sets his soda on the counter, shooting Tim a somewhat apologetic look, “I… I think Jason was hoping to avoid using personal pronouns. Ya know, when discussing his boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend, I mean.”

“Oh,” Tim frowns, “Well… I kinda figured.” Quickly, he adds, “Not that-- or-- I just mean, based on what I’ve gathered about “Red Hood and Arsenal”, and Jason and Roy Harper’s history, I mean, it did occur to me that they’re likely, I dunno, roommates or something. I didn’t really think they were  _ together-- _ but that makes sense too.” after a slight pause, Tim adds, “It is Roy Harper? Jason’s ex, right?” 

Dick snorts, then nods, “Yes, Tim.”

Tim’s expression softens a little, “Must be kinda weird for you… Roy and you are friends from back in your Teen Titans days, huh?”

“Yeah…” Dick shrugs, “It’s not like I have to take sides or anything though. I mean, we’re all adults…”

“Right,” Tim nods. 

“Of course if I was taking sides I would without a doubt take Jason’s.” Dick cocks his head a little to one side, “I’m sure somewhere in that steel trap you call your noggin you’ve heard… some unsavoury things about Roy Harper.” 

“Well…” Tim pushes his hair out of his face, “Yeah… I mean, I’ve heard he’s an addict.”

Dick leans back against the counter. “Since he was sixteen. Jason’s been dealing with it for years. He likes sad cases like that, but I guess Roy pushed him too far…” he looks off, out the kitchen window, “It’s too bad. Don’t tell Jason, but, I kinda always thought him and Roy were perfect for each other.” 

Tim takes another small sip of soda. “Geez… that  _ is _ too bad…” 

Detecting something in his voice, Dick straightens up a little, and asks, “You okay, Tim?”

He nods. “Yeah, I’m fine… it’s just…” he looks up at Dick, concern in his eyes, “Did Jason  _ really _ think I would care if he’s into guys?”

Dick sighs, placing a hand on Tim’s shoulder, “It’s not that… well, it kind of is…” he turns away with a thinking expression, “He assumes  _ everyone _ ’s gonna have something against him for being gay. I think it’s because of the environment he was raised in, before he ended up here. It’s left him with a perpetual sense of shame. Which-- of course-- is crazy. And sad. He’s private about most things, but especially this. So don’t make a big deal about it. Go easy on him, huh?”

Tim nods quickly, “Yeah, yeah of course.” 

“And  _ whatever  _ you do, don’t let Damian find out.” 


End file.
